Unheard of just a few years ago, tacos have invaded the French food market!
While their nutritional profile is undoubtedly poor, the retail chains provide no precise nutritional information to consumers.
The Association Nationale de Défense des Consommateurs et Usagers has taken a close look at the nutritional value of French tacos.
So, in your opinion, are tacos higher in calories than burgers? Answer here!
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In France, burgers are even more widespread and popular than tacos.
French tacos, marketed in France, differ from traditional tacos. It replaces the corn patty with a wheat patty, adds more French fries to the filling and, to top it all off, it’s topped with a delicious cheese sauce!
It’s enough to fill you up for the day, but unfortunately, these sandwiches can be bad for your health and your figure.
Up to 2300 calories!
CLCV has analyzed tacos from 5 well-known French brands.
First of all, it’s hard to find the nutritional values of these sandwiches on chain websites or in restaurants. Some well-known chains even refused to respond to the survey.
According to the CLCV, « the overall energy value per 100g of tacos is similar to that of a burger, but in relation to their size, they provide on average almost 3 times more calories than a burger. The sizes on offer are sometimes outrageous: up to almost 1kg for an XL taco! »
In fact, tacos provide around 1,600 calories in a day, or 60% of the recommended daily energy intake for a teenager.
And it goes even further: one XL taco contains an average of 2,300 calories, or 90% of the recommended daily allowance!
Ainsi, la CLCV appelle les enseignes à faire preuve de plus de transparence sur la constitution du produit, mais aussi de « s’engager à améliorer la qualité nutritionnelle de leurs sandwichs (réduction des matières grasses et du sel), à supprimer les tacos trop riches en calories (taille XL) et à ne proposer qu’un seul choix de sauce. »
Consumption of these foods should remain occasional to maintain a balanced diet and preserve health.